Visiting Neverland in 2013

Mashlie

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Hi all,

Firstly I've not found anything in my search and I apologise if this is in the wrong place etc.

I'm coming to you all for some straight advice on this topic.

Having grown up with MJ like most of you, Neverland holds a special place in my heart regardless of the fact that it wasn't his home after the trial. I'm heading to the US next weekend from Australia visiting NYC/Vegas/LA trip and I plan to fulfil some of my dreams to visit key MJ places in all 3.

I'm only in LA for 2 nights staying somewhere near the Walk of Fame. I have 1 day to make this work and I've been trying to research as much as possible but just keep coming up with conflicting information so I need to know anyones advice/opinions on the following please:


- Are the 'Neverland' gates still there? I've seen them at auction but it's never been clear to me if they were THE gates.
- Is there any reference to MJ outside of whatever gates are there? I've read that you'd drive right past it and not even know it was Neverland
- Finally, in your opinions, is it worth the trip out there?

I'll be upfront and say that I there is some sentimental reasons for me wanting to go but I also want this particular experience to say 'I've done it', post some pics on Facebook to show my friends and family who all know I've been MJ mad since the womb. I'm old enough to know that it won't be the same, there will be no atmosphere there and it will probably be an empty shell of a place but will I be disappointed?

If any fans have visited recently, I'd be really keen to get your opinions so please feel free to post any info you have.
 
- Are the 'Neverland' gates still there? I've seen them at auction but it's never been clear to me if they were THE gates.
- Is there any reference to MJ outside of whatever gates are there? I've read that you'd drive right past it and not even know it was Neverland

The outer gates are still there. They are pretty ordinary, and if you don't know what to look for, it's easy to miss them. They look like this:

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If you are going by Garmin GPS, you'll need to drive a little farther than when it tells you to stop. Look for the gates on the left-hand side, opposite to the School sign on Figueroa Mountain Rd. It's about 10-min drive from the highway.

The inner gate (http://www.entertainmentgeekly.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Neverland-Gates.jpg) are not there anymore. They have been dismantled and are at least partially at a storage. But even if they had been there, you wouldn't have seen them because they used to be far into the territory behind the hill. MJ made it intentionally that way: you enter through modest ordinary gates, then the excitement builds up and finally, you arrive to the gorgeous royal gate to the magic kingdom. That's how it used to be, anyway.

- Finally, in your opinions, is it worth the trip out there?

It may be different for everyone, but in my opinion, if you have a car, it's definitely worth going there. Several reasons:
- this place is still special, and you can very much feel Michael's spirit there. Even though from the whole Neverland you only see the gates, you'll breathe in the atmosphere and you'll understand why Michael chose that place and how he was inspired there. You'll understand where the light and the uplifting feeling of many of his songs came from. You'll feel what he felt everyday waking up, going through the day, writing music. If you have a chance, go there at dawn or at sunset, it's breathtaking.

- if you drive on Figueroa Mountain road past Neverland up the hill, you can enjoy a spectacular view of the Santa Ynez valley from a vista point. You'll see up close Mount Katherine that Michael renamed after his mom. It's very beautiful in the mountains - in his mountains.

- you can stop at Los Olivos town that was Michael's home town and even talk to local people about him. They are fond of Michael. Some of the sites connected to MJ in Los Olivos mentioned here: http://theworldremembers.wordpress.com/2013/07/28/usa-los-angeles-ca/

- stop at nearby city of Solvang, a famous tourist destination. The city is absolutely charming and worth visiting on itself, but you can also find there Michael's favorite antique store (called Solvang Antique Center). If you read Dr. Van Vallin's book, he tells a story about him and Michael going to shop there at night.


Yes, Michael is not physically in Neverland anymore, but what this place will be for you really depends on what you want it to be. Neverland has always been a place to let go your imagination. If you want it to be magical, it will be. For me - it's magical. I feel closer to Michael there than I do at Forest Lawn.
 
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Pics I took when I was around LA:

Neverland & Forest Lawn made the biggest impression.
If you are strapped for time I would visit Forest Lawn, Walk of Fame, the 1st mural (I think it was close to walk of fame) and maybe Holmby Hills. Not sure if they still have his outfits at the Grammy Museum. Parking there was easy, so if you're imto that you could do that as well...

Encino Compound:
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Holmby Hills:
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Mural, 1720 North Cahuenga Boulevard:
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Forest Lawn:
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THE door:
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He's behind the top window at the tree:
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Thriller video home
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MJ at Grammy Museum:
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Another mural, crossing of S Union & Venice Boulevard:
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Walk of Fame:
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Madame Tussaud:
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3 more, of the surroundings of Neverland:
Gates:
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Overlook:
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Leasing of the cows? :p
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I friend of mine went on a tour inside Neverland in 2011 I think it was, and it was actually in much better condition than some pictures and news show.. Was it like someone lived there? no! but considering what I expected it was awesome, he got a tour of everything. The main house, theater, dance room.. everything!!

I wish I was a part of that.. There is alot to see in the L.A. area like above, just to add a couple more..

The Palace theater (Thriller theater) is downtown, you can take a tour through the studio Michael recorded (all day event though), Universal Studios (Scream, Black Or White, and Moonwalker was filmed) Moonwalker - on Brownstone Street, Little Europe and in the New York Street area - you can take the tram which.. They go different routes every time so lets say if they are filming on brownstone street you might not get the chance of seeing it but you could. The area burnt down a couple years ago but they rebuilt it. So technically not the exact steps he stood on etc, but you can still see.. Of course you can see the school Michael went to, the first house they moved into when they moved to cali..

These are just some other things to look at if the time is there!!
 
Thank you so much for all of your opinions and information. That is much much clearer than any of the reports or accounts I've read on other sites.

It's fairly personal but I don't connect with Forest Lawn at all so I'm likely to give that a miss but you never know once I get caught up in the moment.

It seems there is a lot to see out there and it's a real shame that I'll only have 1 full day so I will have to really pick wisely. I had no idea about the Thriller house and I've not stopped thinking about it so that might be up there!

Travelling from Australia, I really feel that I'll need to make the most of it as I won't have plans for a 'next time' so I'll probably need to leave my wife and in-laws behind and have a ME day looking at some of things that I thought I'd never see.

Oh if anyone has any ideas for NYC and Vegas that I can slip into the trip please let me know too. :)
 
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Hey all,

Just an update for those that provided help and advice.

I made the pilgrimage out to Neverland and am glad that you advised me to do so.

There was nothing out there to see, a lot of the ground was dry and when we pulled up we were asked to move by the security guard as the driveway is still in use. We saw a few cars/work vehicles going in and out for the hour that we were there.

I will say that it is in the middle of nowhere! As we drove out of LA, I began to wonder how he even found this place to begin with. Given that I had 2.5 hours of thinking to do I wondered if he used Neverland as a holiday retreat between albums, tours and promotional work etc. Maybe someone can shed some light on that if they have any knowledge? It is so far from the airport or just Hollywood in general that I struggle to see how he could make that trip more than once or twice a week.

From here, I drove to the Encino compound which just looks to be on a normal residential road so it took me a moment to realise that was IT. I should have rang the buzzer just to see what would have happened but I was double parked so just grabbed a picture and carried on.

I visited the Thriller house and the Palace theatre which were awesome for me although you can't stop on the theatre road so my Wife had to get the snaps. We did try to get to the Cafe where Beat It was filmed but they were closed.

I decided against Forest Lawn for personal reasons but we did see the Holmby Hills house on a (crappy) tour of celebrity homes.

Overall, I'm thankful for the replies here and also to my Wife who let me drag her around LA on our only day there to tick these things off of my MJ list.

If anyone needs any advice or questions answered, please send me a message and I'll be glad to help.
 
There is a airport not to far away from Los Olivos. He used to fly, helicopter or airplanes. And he went there by car too. When you're not driving yourself it's not that bad.
 
There is a airport not to far away from Los Olivos. He used to fly, helicopter or airplanes. And he went there by car too. When you're not driving yourself it's not that bad.

Well that makes more sense then. Thanks for that and yep I guess when you are being driven in the back of a limo there are plenty more ways to pass the time. Poor driver though!
 
So what exactly can you do at Neverland these days ? Obviously you can't enter but are you allowed to pull your car to the side of the road and hang around outside the gates (the one below) for a small while or whatever ?

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I always have this feeling if you spend more than a few minutes there some security guards will approach you and ask to leave (as a previous post says) :p I don't intend to go there, I'm just wondering what happens if you actually go there now-a-days...
 
all of michael's posessions, furniture and statues need to be returned to neverland and it should be turned into a museum for the fans. i think that would be so beautiful.
 
Oh my what a beautiful thread with great advice, info. and pictures--thank you to all who have shared!
 
So what exactly can you do at Neverland these days ? Obviously you can't enter but are you allowed to pull your car to the side of the road and hang around outside the gates (the one below) for a small while or whatever ?

Yep that's pretty much it. the security guard only came out to speak to me to ask me to move the car off of the driveway as it was still in use.

I would have thought that he would have come out to share stories or interact with me at least given that you would have had to have driven at least 2 hours to get there.

Just laying outside and taking it in was good enough for me.
 
Is that the real Thriller house? Where they filmed parts of the video?? Talk about an iconic house!!!

I LOVED seeing this house. I thought it would have all just been a set, the same with the Palace Theatre so to see them in real life was just special.
 
So what exactly can you do at Neverland these days ? Obviously you can't enter but are you allowed to pull your car to the side of the road and hang around outside the gates (the one below) for a small while or whatever ?

Yep that's pretty much it. the security guard only came out to speak to me to ask me to move the car off of the driveway as it was still in use.

I would have thought that he would have come out to share stories or interact with me at least given that you would have had to have driven at least 2 hours to get there.

Just laying outside and taking it in was good enough for me.

Oh cool, thanks !
 
I thought that MJ's kids were restoring the property?
 
This guy was allowed in with Larry Nimmer for an afternoon in 2011. The ranch looks spectacular still.

Coming up to Inner Gates with MJ-banner statues flanking it. (Formerly the gates with light-up "Michael Jackson" on top:


Inner gates, featuring train station and property statues (no sound):


Inner gate and entrance driveway along track past property statues:

 
Wow thanks for those videos. I know this sounds very childish but I'm still a little upset that nobody there (staff/security) bothered to interact with me or anyone else that showed up.

I totally get it that they aren't attendants at an amusement park but I can't help feeling like they are the keepers to this amazing piece of MJ history.

I would have been happy with just someone coming to say 'Hi' or even a quick walk through the outer outer gates. To be honest they could have told me anything or given me a blank bit of Neverland headed paper and I would have been over the moon.

They need to do something with that place in my opinion.
 
Hmmm... after reading a couple of replies to this thread I cannot deny the fact I thought Neverland had "died", I mean no one's taking care of it anymore but since it looks like it's in "good" condition I can imagine his family still invest in it somehow and tries to keep it alive somehow or am I wrong here?

If someone is living there, I highly doubt but thank god it's in good condition considering what the media has splashed about it, making it sound as if it's a ghost town or something. I'll like some recent updated pictures of Neverland from inside or is it still not allowed to post pictures of the inside?

Hmmm I'm a bit confused here hehe...

Update:
This guy was allowed in with Larry Nimmer for an afternoon in 2011. The ranch looks spectacular still.

Coming up to Inner Gates with MJ-banner statues flanking it. (Formerly the gates with light-up "Michael Jackson" on top:


Inner gates, featuring train station and property statues (no sound):


Inner gate and entrance driveway along track past property statues:

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOW.... Never saw this post before i posted mine but it looks GREAT!!
 
I think Colony Capitol is maintaining the grounds now.

The guards at the gate aren't the same guards that worked there when Michael lived there. They're pretty cold and are just there to "do their job", not very personable and have been borderline rude to fans and other visitors (according to some fans). Fans have reported seeing the guards throwing away the letters and gifts that are left at the gate for the family; they just aren't emotionally tied to Michael, they work there for the paycheck, not nostalgia. :unsure:
 
To this day, I have NO idea why Neverland didn't become a public attraction. What a missed opportunity.
 
To this day, I have NO idea why Neverland didn't become a public attraction. What a missed opportunity.

It's a very nice idea and on some levels I would love to see it too. However, to what I understand, they had very practical and sensible reasons for not doing it.

Neverland is in an isolated spot and is very far away from all major cities. There's no infrastructure in place to get people out there-- the only option is a 2 to 3 hour drive down a single dirt road. It would be very impractical to put anything else in place and it would create noise and traffic for the local residents. Also, after the property was raided, Michael disowned Neverland and said he felt it had now been corrupted and he never wanted to see it or go there again. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure all this is correct.

I am a big Elvis fan too, and I've been to Graceland. It's not pretty. It was nice to see how Elvis lived and I learnt something about him, but mostly it felt wrong being in there. I felt like I was intruding on his personal space. I think a public Neverland, full of thousands of people, would feel like that but worse. Neverland, for all its beauty, was a sort of a prison. I'm happy with the way things are-- If you are a dedicated, serious fan, you can make the drive to an empty place and spend some respectful time in contemplation.
 
Would love to be able to visit it. They could do it like Hearst Castle and drive people up with mini busses from somewhere near the Pacific Highway :)
 
Neverland is in an isolated spot and is very far away from all major cities. There's no infrastructure in place to get people out there-- the only option is a 2 to 3 hour drive down a single dirt road. It would be very impractical to put anything else in place and it would create noise and traffic for the local residents.

I hear you on this. After making the drive out there I started to feel the same. Where I think they could meet in the middle is literally make it one month a year or perhaps on a week of an anniversary or something.

As with most things, if it's a limited opportunity the uptake is likely to be more than something that's there all the time.

That's just my opinion though and I think it's something that most fan clubs would get behind and fans would be able to coordinate their journey etc.
 
Yep, once a year for a month or so would be great :)
Make the prices high enough so it won't attract to many random people, say $200 a person or something like that :)
 
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